Ohio Amber Alert: Missing 5-year-old from Columbus feared in danger; empty car found near Cleveland
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) – Law enforcement officials continue searching for a 5-year-old boy they believe to be in danger and who remains the subject of an active Amber Alert Wednesday night.
The vehicle that police said was used in the abduction was located nearly 150 miles away outside Cleveland Wednesday morning, but both the child and his suspected abductor — 5-year-old Darnell Taylor and 48-year-old Pammy Maye — were not inside. Columbus Police Chief Elaine Bryant urges anyone with information to come forward.
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“Any information you may have, no matter how minute or small you think it may be, that could help us locate Darnell Taylor or Pammy Maye,” Bryant said. “Please call us. We’re trying to bring this to a resolution. Again, we believe that this child is in danger.”
Online court records show Maye has been charged with first-degree felony kidnapping and third-degree felony endangering children. Records also show a warrant has been filed for Maye’s arrest.
The Amber Alert was issued at 5:10 a.m. after Maye allegedly took Taylor from a south Columbus home in the 900 block of Reeb Avenue. The statewide notice said the abduction took place at around 3:50 a.m., though Columbus police later said it happened shortly after 3 a.m.
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Darnell Taylor, left, and Pammy Maye A tow truck takes the Jeep Cherokee matching the description of the car at the center of a Feb. 14 Amber Alert. (Courtesy Photo/FOX 8) Police investigate a home where a 5-year-old boy was abducted. (NBC4/El Richards)
The vehicle was found at about 6 a.m. in Brooklyn, a suburb south of Cleveland. Police located the car after receiving a hit from a license plate reader, finding it at an apartment complex on Memphis Avenue and towing it back to the police station.
Deputy Chief Smith Weir said Columbus police are continuing to canvass the neighborhood for information and possible video. He said police did not know if Maye had a connection to the Cleveland area.
Police were notified when a person identifying himself as Maye’s husband called 911 after she woke him up and made him believe that Taylor had been hurt. The man told a dispatcher she abruptly left the home in her vehicle with the child. Weir said the Mayes have been Taylor’s legal guardians since May and that police were still attempting to contact his biological parents.
Bryant said Columbus police alerted the Ohio State Highway Patrol of Taylor’s disappearance at 3:18 a.m., then made the official Amber Alert request at 4:20 a.m. Fifty minutes later, the alert was issued.
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Maye is described as having brown hair and brown eyes. She is 4 feet 9 inches tall and weighs about 115 pounds. Because of the potential of the child being harmed, Columbus homicide detectives responded to the initial scene.
Reeb Avenue was closed for most of the day, reopening at approximately 5 p.m.
If you see Taylor or Maye, police ask that you call 1-877-AMBER-OH (1-877-262-3764), Central Ohio Crime Stoppers at 614-461-TIPS (8477), the Columbus police tip line at 614-645-2228 or 911 to be transferred directly to the investigating law enforcement agency.
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